Redemption
by Momentaied
Summary: What if Snape get's a second chance? Can he choose path of light, or is he destined to walk in darkness? Or perhaps there is another way...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: My lawyers just informed me that I do not own the rights to Harry Potter, JK Rowling and Warner Bros do, and I have done this without any expressed consent. On the other hand, I'm not making money off of this.

A/N: Prologue almost completely cannon, just sets up some characters I'm using. Most of it is taken from Snape's Worst Memory (Order of the Phoenix) and The Prince's Tale (Deathly Hallows) Enjoy, r&r

Prologue

Severus Snape watched as the second hand on his clock signalled the beginning of September 1st, 1971. This day, he would start his education in the art of magic at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Vaguely, he considered that he should probably go to sleep, after all, tomorrow—or today, rather, is a big day. However, in the excited state he was in right now, sleep was impossible. He opened his trunk and pulled out the tattered copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ that his mother had given him. Severus would not need it until his sixth year, but he was caught by the wonders the book held. Potions, above all, entranced the young boy. He flipped through the book, reciting the name of each potion as he went, "_Amortentia, Felix Felicis,Veritaserum—._"

"Keep it down in there, boy!" The shout was accompanied by a bang on Severus' wall and a crash of glass. Apparently he had been reading too loudly. He quietly replaced his book in his trunk, turned off his lamp, and hurriedly crawled under his bedcover.

A few minutes later, Severus' poked his head from under his cover, retrieved his book, and after turning on his bedside lamp, began to read again...

xxx

The bright red train was as he had always imagined it. It promised to whisk him to another world, the world to which he belonged. He surveyed the smoke filled platform, bright black eyes searching.

Vaguely, Severus heard his mother speaking to him. "...Slytherin or Ravenclaw."

"Sorry, mum, I wasn't listening."

Eileen Prince pursed her lips, and was about to repeat what she had said, but was interrupted by her husband.

"Let's go, Eileen, we're low on essentials. The boy can take care of himself, can't you, boy?" Before Severus could answer, Tobias Snape had already turned on his heel and was heading for the car.

"I'm sorry, Sev. Write to me when you get there. Bye, son," she said, before following the elder Snape out of the train station.

Severus stared after the couple, face scrunched up in a deep frown. He reached into the pocket of his school robes and felt his wand. It was birch, with a core of phoenix feather. Warmth radiated from the wand. He let the magic flow through him...

xxx

The black haired boy dragged his trunk through the corridors. He slid the door of the compartment open and peered in. There were two boys lounging opposite each other beside the door, and a girl with vibrant red hair sitting beside the window with her head pressed against the window pane. Her eyes were red and puffy; it looked as if she had been crying.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said before Severus could open his mouth.

"Why not?"

"Because Tuney h—hates me because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

"So she's my sister."

"She's only a –" Severus caught himself. Lily, lost in her distress, did not hear him. Knowing that it was a lost cause, Severus changed the subject, "but this is it! We're going to Hogwarts."

Lily smiled in spite of herself, "yeah."

Severus smiled too, "you'd better be in Slytherin."

"Slytherin? Who would want to be in Slytherin?" said the black haired boy with glasses.

Glaring at him with infinite dislike, Severus replied tersely, "where are you going then?"

"_Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart_," the boy recited, "like my dad. Got a problem with that?"

"Not at all," said Severus with a sneer, "if you prefer to be brawny than brainy."

"Which house are you then, since you're neither?"

Before Severus could reply, Lily had stood up. She stared at the other two boys in dislike before grabbing Severus by the arm, "c'mon, let's find another compartment."

As they grabbed their trunks and left, Severus heard the two boys, "Ooh, see you later, Snivellus..."

xxx

"Snape, Severus!"

Severus stumbled forward onto the stool as Professor McGonagall placed the sorting head onto his head. A voice came into his head.

"Slytherin, eh, and a half-blood too, what an odd combination. Ravenclaw would be a good choice as well; you have a very bright mind." The hat paused, and then continued, "you would do well in Gryffindor, you know, there's plenty of courage."

"Really?" Severus asked timidly, "Gryffindor? You mean, I get a choice?"

"Of course," replied the hat, "we all have choices."

"I—I don't know."

"Slytherin will bring you success, there's no question about it. You are ambitious, oh so ambitious. But then again, Gryffindor might be best," said the hat slowly.

Severus looked towards the Gryffindor table and saw Lily, but his eyes strayed and he saw sitting beside her the bespectacled boy from the train—James Potter, that was his name. He steeled his mind. "No, Slytherin."

He was sure he was mistaken, but it almost sounded like the hat had sighed. "Are you sure you wouldn't be happier in Gryffindor?"

"What?"

"Forget it, your mind is already made up, better be Slytherin..."

xxx

He unpacked his books, took out his pyjamas, and was about the close the hangings around his four-poster bed before a brown haired boy came over with an extended hand. "Hi, I'm Octavius Avery, my friends call me Otto. What's your name?"

Severus hesitated, but slowly said, "Severus, Severus Snape."

The brown haired boy laughed. "Your middle name is the same as your first name? Nice to meet you, Severus Severus Snape."

Severus blushed, "no, just Severus Snape."

"That's good too," Avery said. Then he turned serious and frowned, "I've never heard of any Snapes before, and my family knows almost all the pure-blood families in Britain. Where are you from?"

Hesitating again, Severus said slowly, "My mum's a Prince, maybe you heard of her?"

Avery brightened up, "oh Prince. Yeah, I heard of you guys, I think you own a cauldron company or something?"

"Um, I think it's my grandfather."

"Great! So we're all pure-bloods here." He pointed to a blond boy with broad shoulders and a tall black haired boy, "that's Marcus Mulciber and Julius Wilkes."

"And I'm Augustus Rookwood," said the other blond boy in the room, before Avery could introduce him, and extended his hand in a practiced and dignified manner.

Then, Avery suddenly started chuckling. Thinking he was the butt of some joke, Augustus glared at him, "what's so funny, Avery?"

"Augustus, Octavius, Julius, Marcus, and Severus, what are the chances of that..."

xxx

"I thought we were supposed to be friends, best friends?" said Severus heatedly. He looked down at his friend—he was in his third year at Hogwarts now, and was a full head taller than Lily.

"We _are_, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! _Mulciber_! What do you see in him, Sev, he is creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary McDonald the other day?"

"That was nothing. It was a laugh, that's all."

"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny—"

Before she could finish, Severus jumped in, "what about Saint James and the three stooges? They're always pulling pranks!"

"James Potter and his friends may be arrogant toerags, but they don't use Dark Magic," said Lily softly, knowing it was a sensitive subject.

Severus stared at her with wide eyes, "are you actually _defending_ Potter?"

Lily was irritated now, "of course not, but..."

xxx

"Here's that book I promised you," Octavius Avery said as he descended the stairs into the common room, carrying a heavy book.

"Thanks," Severus said gloomily, staring into the fire.

"Did you have a good vacation?" the brown haired boy asked carelessly, flicking his hair out of his eyes."

"Same as ever," Severus murmured.

"That bad, huh," Avery chuckled at his guarded look, "don't worry, my lips are sealed, but tell me, did you have another fight?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he said, face suddenly impassive.

"Right, of course."

Just as he was about to reply, Lucius Malfoy walked into the common room with Marcus Mulciber, "_Magicke Moste Vile_, I think I was right about you, Severus…"

Severus smiled broadly. He had just met Lord Voldemort's second in command: Rudolphus Lestrange. Lucius had arranged for a meeting the Saturday previous, the self fashioned Dark Lord was apparently impressed by his aptitude with potions. Severus had heard rumours that the Dark Lord, who was on a mission to destroy all muggleborns, was actually a half-blood, like him. The thought made him smile even wider. Lucius had told him proudly that he was set to receive the Dark Mark the second he left school. Severus hoped that he could have the same honour. He wondered if—

"Severus, m'boy! I think your potion's just about ready!" He snapped back to reality at the sound of Professor Slughorn's voice. Lost in his daydreams, he had not noticed that his potion was boiling over and was now spewing greyish green goo around the room. In the front of the dungeon, Potter Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew laughed uproariously and shouted, "Snivellus! Better get your nose out the potion!"

Severus glared at them with pure loathing, but his eyes strayed and saw Lily. She was smiling softly and blushed when she saw him staring at her. Seeing the humour in the situation, Severus flashed her a big grin as Professor Slughorn boomed consolingly, "well, we all have days off. You can redo the potion, m'boy; provided, of course, you come to my Christmas party..."

xxx

He crawled breathlessly through the tunnel. He had to find out. Slowly, he inched towards the exit and straightened up as the tunnel became taller. Before he could get out, someone placed a hand on his shoulder. It was James Potter.

"Let's go, fun's over, Snivellus."

Severus drew his wand, but Potter was quicker. Before he could mutter his curse, he was already falling backwards, stiff as a board. Above him, Potter smiled, "sorry, Snivellus, but this is for your own good." He conjured a length of rope and bound Severus' hands with it. Then, he lifted the spell and forced Severus up. However, he had forgotten to retrieve Severus' wand. Bowling Potter over, Severus jumped to his wand and shouted a frantic "_sectumsempra_" to free himself from the bindings. Before Potter could recover, he had already stunned him. He was about to retrieve the Gryffindor's wand, but a crashing noise urged him to hurry with all speed to the end of the passage.

Pushing opened a door, Severus found himself inside a large wooden house with tattered furniture and doxy infested curtains. He heard another crashing noise from above and ran for the staircase. He ran up two stairs at a time. At the top of the third flight of stairs, he came face to face with a werewolf about to lunge for him. Before he could raise his wand, he felt himself losing consciousness. The last thing he saw was a stag pushing the werewolf back with its large antlers...

xxx

Severus thought he had down fairly well on the Defence against the Dark Arts exam; in fact, he would not be the least surprise to find that he had gotten an Outstanding. He walked back to the dormitories to look up the answers to a few questions before heading out into the school grounds. It was a beautiful day. He looked around, searching for Avery and Mulciber. They were sitting on the opposite shore of the lake; he walked towards them, hoping to discuss the exam results. Before he had gone two steps, however, he felt himself upside down, and the next thing he knew, Lily was between him and Potter.

"Leave him alone!" Lily screamed, with eyes practically burning with anger. "What has he ever done?"

"Um, being born?"

"Just let him down!" said Lily angrily.

"Go out with me, Evans." Potter said arrogantly, sweeping a hand through his messy black hair, "C'mon, go out with me, and I'll let him alone."

"I would rather kiss the giant squid!" she said, drawing her wand.

Shrugging carelessly, Potter muttered the counter-spell and Severus collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Before Potter could react, Severus retrieved his fallen wand and aimed a curse at him, and a deep gash appeared across the Gryffindor's face. Before he could cast a shield charm, though, Severus heard Potter yell out, "_Expelliarmus!_" and felt his wand slipping from his grasp. He swore, angry for his slowness. Potter heard him, and a second later, Severus' mouth was full of soap. He coughed, choking on the suds.

Lily turned back to his tormentor, "let him go!"

"Fine, say thank you to Evans, Snivellus." Potter said in his most cocky voice as he stopped the spell.

Out of breath, with anger coursing through his veins, fuelled by the smile he saw that had graced Lily's lips, Severus—before he could think—screamed coarsely, "I don't need help from a filthy mudblood!"

Suddenly, he felt himself dangling by his ankle again, as Potter screamed for him to apologize. As blood rushed to his head again, Severus closed his eyes, wondering how long before he would pass out. Faintly, he heard the word "Snivellus" shouted at him with Lily's voice and wondered if he was not in a nightmare.

"Let him go."

Severus, barely conscious, wondered if Lily had not returned. Then, he felt himself falling slowly. He opened his eyes, and saw the blue eyes of Octavius Avery staring back at him. Avery muttered a spell, and handed him his wand. Severus felt his sense coming back to him and remembered what he had said. He cursed himself and looked left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lily.

"Come on, Severus, now's not the time," Avery said slowly.

Snapping back to reality, Severus stood up and faced James Potter, forcing himself to calm down.

"Now the games can begin," Marcus laughed dementedly. "Let's see how you fare when the odds are even."

"Potter is mine!" shouted Severus.

Marcus laughed dementedly, "fine by me!"

Sirius Black laughed a bark-like laugh and drew his wand...

xxx

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath."

"I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never mean to call you a Mudblood, it just--"

"Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends--you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you? I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"No--listen, I didn't mean--"

"--to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood Severus. Why should I be any different?" With a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole....

Severus swayed on the spot, wondering if she would come back.

"Go away boy, she's not coming back and you'll miss curfew!" shouted the Fat Lady.

Looking down at his feet, Severus vaguely heard the portrait. He checked his watch, it was already 8:45; he should be back in the Slytherin common room. He looked down the corridor towards the stairs, contemplating his options, when he heard the creaking of the portrait…


	2. Not That Simple

A/N: The story now diverges and goes AU. And if Snape seems out of character (as in, not as sarcastic and brooding), keep in mind that he's not exactly fighting fit right now.

Not That Simple

Severus Snape pivoted on the spot so fast he almost tripped over his own robe. This time, he was determined not to let Lily leave until she knew just how sorry he was and had forgiven him. Instead of Lily, however, it was the faces of James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew that greeted him. The smile on his face a second ago quickly turned into an ugly sneer as he reached inside his robes for his wand, preparing for the onslaught.

"What the hell did you do!"

Severus regarded the three boys in front of him with a disdainful expression, "that would be none of your business, Potter."

"When you make Lily cry, you make it my business!" James shouted protectively. "Now, are you going to tell me, or do I have to make you?"

"Oh yes, I forgot, Saint James has to rescue the damsel in distress," said Severus, now pointing his wand at James.

The three Gryffindors pointed their wands at him simultaneously. Sirius smiled grimly, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, Snivellus. You're outnumbered and outmatched without your little Death Eater friends here."

Severus almost laughed at the absurdity of the comment, "since when has that stopped you?" He aimed his _Sectumsempra_ spell at James, who easily deflected it with a shield charm. Before he could raise his own shield charm, however, he was disarmed by Peter and was hit with an _Impedimenta_ from Sirius. The force of the spell sent him flying down the corridor and momentarily stunned him as his head hit the stone floor.

Near the portrait, the three Marauders were hooting with joy. Sirius clapped Peter on the shoulder, making the small boy stumble forwards, "good work, Wormtail!" The rotund boy simpered with joy at Sirius' approval.

Severus sat up, rubbing his head and berating himself at the thought of having been disarmed by Pettigrew. As he glanced down the corridor for his wand, James pointed his wand at him and muttered, "_Incarcerous_." Instantly, he was tightly bound by the magical ropes and could only watch helplessly as the three boys advanced on him.

James saw the look of pure loathing on his face and smiled disarmingly, "relax, Snivellus, we just want to talk."

Beside him, Sirius shook his head mockingly, "I think that's just the way Snivellus look." At Severus' scowl, he added with a smirk, "you'd look like that too if you were as ugly and greasy as Snivellus here and had no friends, Prongs."

"Yeah, you greasy git," Peter added, rather unnecessarily.

"Better leave the talking to us, Wormtail," said Sirius coolly, flipping his hair out of his face.

James knelt down in front of Severus so that his hazel eyes were directed at Severus' black ones. Severus narrowed his eyes; usually James always reserved the most arrogant of his smiles for these "talks". _Not unlike the one he uses on Lily_, Severus thought wryly. This time, however, the Gryffindor's eyes were cold and his expression serious.

"Alright, Snivellus, I'm going to say this once: Stay. Away. From. Lily. Do you understand? If I see you near her again, if I see you make her cry again, I'll make you wish you never got your invitation to Hogwarts." James pressed his wand at Severus' throat menacingly. "Frankly, I don't even know why you're still here. Wouldn't you much rather be out of school with your little Death Eater friends? Killing muggles, torturing muggleborns?"

Severus said nothing, only glared at his rival with all the hate he could muster. So James continued, his eyes narrowing with dislike, "I know your type, Snivellus, I know what you are. Just can't wait to graduate and join You-Know-Who, can you? Well, unfortunately for you, Padfoot here and I, we just can't wait to graduate and join the Aurors. You'll be our first prisoner, Snivellus. I promise we'll reserve you a cell in Azkaban, nice and close to the dementors."

"Better reserve one for your buddy Lupin too," Severus' sarcastic laugh was stopped abruptly by a spell from Sirius. Suddenly, he felt boils break out all over his face. His eyes were almost swollen shut.

"When will you learn to keep your mouth shut?" Sirius barked good humourly, "it does seem like an improvement for you though, Snivellus."

"I think you're right about that," James' arrogant smirk crept back to his face. He turned back to Severus, "if you're lucky, Padfoot here just might let you keep them."

The Slytherin struggled helplessly against his bounds, and could only glower at James as he continued his speech, "it's over, Snivellus, and I win. Lily is with me now. I don't know how you could have ever thought that someone like her could possibly be interested in someone like you, but I guess all the grease in your hair must have seeped into your brain."

"Really? She's with you now? Because if that's true, I'd be very curious as to who slapped you in the face. Did Lupin do it? If it was him, I could almost bear to shake his hand." Severus smirked darkly, "or paw, I suppose, is more appropriate."

James' hand twitched unconsciously as he moved to touch his cheek, but he stopped himself and pressed his wand harder into Severus' windpipe, making the lanky boy gag. Instead of hexing Severus however, James settled for a punch to his face. Severus heart the sickening crunch of bone and cartilage as his nose broke from the impact. He fell backwards and for the second time that night, hit his head on the stone floor. He tried to sit up again, but the ropes that bound him immobilised him.

"See you around, Snivellus!" Sirius said in parting as the three Marauders turned back to the Gryffindor common room, but not before Peter turned back and kicked Severus in the side, "greasy git!"

Severus stared up at the ceiling and sighed. He promised that he would sleep outside the common room to wait for Lily, and now he would, in the meantime, he would just have to ignore the sickening taste of blood in his mouth and fantasize about all the dark spells he would use on Potter and Black once he gets out of this bind. Just as he was about to close his eyes, the Gryffindor portrait swung open for the third time that night.

xxx

Lily Evans slammed the portrait as she hurried back to the common room, determined not to turn back. Unbidden, tears started flowing freely from her emerald eyes. She wiped at them with the sleeves of her robe and ran towards the staircase to the girl's dormitories. She didn't notice James getting up from his armchair near the fireplace to block her way.

"Alright, Evans?"

"Get out of my way, Potter. I don't want to play your little games tonight."

"I'll get straight to the point then," James said as he ran his fingers through his messy black hair. "Now that you finally ditched dear old Snivellus, what do you say to a date with me?"

Near the fireplace, Remus clapped a hand to his face, astounded by his friend's tactlessness as Lily snarled at James. "Don't call him that!"

She started to shove him aside and ascend the girl's staircase, but was restrained by James' hand on her wrist. He put on his most suggestive smile, "c'mon, one date. I know just what you need to get Snivellus—"

Lily turned on the spot and slapped James on the face before he could continue. "You disgust me, Potter. Now let go!"

Ignoring the sting in her hand, Lily wrenched her wrist away from a stunned James Potter and ran up the staircase two steps at a time until she reached the fifth year girls' dormitories. Once inside, she dove onto her bed and started sobbing into her pillow as the other Gryffindor girls congregated around her bed. She felt the mattress depress as Mary sat down

"Oh, you poor thing, I never should have told you he was here," the black haired girl said, stroking Lily's long auburn locks. "He's not worth this much trouble, is he?"

On the other side of the bed, Lily could hear Elena whispering to Mariel, "took her long enough…don't know what she saw…can you believe the hair…" It just made her sob harder.

_Six years of friendship, gone, just like that_. The worst part of it was she didn't even let him explain. Severus was off to join the Death Eaters, of that there was no doubt. But just when she turned and left, she could have sworn he was about to say _it_, and she wonder if he would have if she gave him the chance. The thought just made her sob harder. There was no going back this time, they don't often row like that, and even when they did, she always accepted his apology. It was odd, usually when she talked to him about his friends, he always tries to change the topic and deflect the criticism back to James and the Marauders. Tonight, however, Severus actually seemed repentant when she mentioned his Death Eater friends. _Figures, the one time he shows remorse, I throw it back in his face_. She wondered if that was Severus' last chance, his last lifeline.

Lily didn't know how long she had been crying when Alice walked into the room and broke the silence. "Um, Lily, I thought you might want to know, James and Sirius just came back to the common room from outside, and they seemed _really_ happy about something."

Lily sat up on her bed, trying to regain control of her emotions. _I never was as good at this as Severus_. "You think they did something to Severus?"

"Don't know," the brown haired girl in front of her shrugged.

"Hasn't anyone gone out to check up on Severus? Just to make sure he's alright?" Lily asked imploringly, gazing at each of the girls.

They glanced at each other uncomfortably before Alice answered, "it's almost curfew, Lily, and I'm sure James didn't do anything too crazy."

From their expression, Lily knew that they wouldn't have gone out for Severus if it was broad daylight and Severus was outside screaming for help. "Maybe I should—"

"No!" Mary interjected. "You just went out, and look what happened. If you go to him, you'll only end up hurt, and is he honestly worth it?"

"She's right," Mariel added, "he's just a greasy Slytherin, why bother? He'll never change."

Lily closed her eyes. She knew they were right, she knew Severus well enough to know that he most likely wouldn't, and couldn't, change now. But there was still the nagging voice in her head, _what was Severus about to say when she closed the portrait?_ Lily opened her eyes and stared at the entrance to the dormitory.

xxx

Severus heard the clatter of footsteps and Lily's shocked voice, "oh Severus, what did they do to you?"

She removed the ropes binding Severus and helped him sit up. When he swayed dangerously, she moved him to one side of the corridor, where he could lean against the cold stone walls. She knelt down beside him and examined his injury. "Look at you, Severus, they broke your nose. Don't move. I'm going to try to fix it."

One look at Lily's red eyes told him that Potter was telling the truth; so she was crying because of him. Severus felt a twinge of guilt at having caused her so much pain—it took a lot to make the fiery Gryffindor cry. He wanted to apologize for what he had said, but was afraid she would leave again. So he asked slowly, "are you sure you know the spell?"

"Of course I do, I'm not the best Charms student in Hogwarts for nothing," Lily pursed her lips in exasperation, almost forgetting that she was supposed to hate Severus right now. She moved her wand over his nose, "_Episkey_. It's as good as new."

When Severus didn't respond, she grabbed his head in her hands and looked in his eyes, "are you ok? Do you have a concussion? I think we need to take you to the hospital wing right now."

"No, I'm good, just a little shook up," said Severus, spitting out the blood in his mouth.

At the sight of the blood, Lily's worried frown turned into a look of loathing, "Potter did this, didn't he? I'll make sure he scrubs bedpans for a month for this."

"No, I should thank Potter," Severus laughed humourlessly.

"What?" That worried frown was back on her face again, "are you sure you don't have a concussion?"

Severus shook his head. "No, if he didn't do this, you wouldn't have come back." _Would you?_

That apparently was the wrong thing to say, because Lily's eyes hardened and she moved to stand up. Severus desperately grasped for her hand, "no, don't go, please. Look, I'm really sorry for what I said, Lily. I know it was really stupid." He looked into her bright green eyes, willing her to believe him, "I promise I won't use that word again, ever. I promise."

"Then why did you say it?"

Severus looked down, not wanting to meet his friend's eyes and the disappointment they held, "I was angry at Potter," he practically spat the name out. "I was angry at me, for being so slow and so weak."

"That still doesn't explain why you called me that horrid name," Lily replied brusquely.

"I—I didn't want to rescued—"

"By a girl you mean."

Severus nodded slowly and looked up at Lily, "I just wanted to walk away with a little dignity this time."

"It's not weakness to need help sometimes," said Lily sadly, looking into his imploring dark eyes, "someday I hope you realize that."

"And there was something else," Severus continued delicately. He knew he shouldn't push the topic, but he had to know. "You—I saw you, I think you were, I mean, it just looked like you smiled. When I was upside down, I mean."

It was Lily's turn to look away now. Even in the dark corridor, Severus could see that his friend was blushing furiously, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She sighed inwardly, _he would never say it now, even if he would have before._

_So she did smile, Potter must have gotten to her after all._ Severus gritted his teeth in anger, and was about to respond when Lily abruptly changed the topic to force him on the defensive again, "it wasn't just that you called me that word, Severus. You keep hanging around with those Death Eaters; you can't possibly like them, can you? They're evil, and they hate muggleborns."

"They're not all bad people, Lily, and I wouldn't call it hate per se," he regretted those words the instant they came out of his mouth.

"You wouldn't call it hate! Are you out of your bloody mind? They want people like me dead!" Lily was practically shouting now. "Tell me, Severus, do you want me dead?"

"Don't be absurd," Severus scowled, not liking how the conversation has shifted.

"Look, Severus, I can forgive you for calling me that word," she paused at his eager expression, knowing her next words will wipe it off his face instantly, "but what I said still stands: I cannot continue being friends with you if you insist on being friends with those Death Eaters."

"I—I can't just walk away, Lily."

"Yes you can, it's not too late. Unless…" Lily's eyes widened and her free hand flew to her mouth, "you haven't taken the Dark Mark!"

"No, of course not!" Severus stared down at his lap again and continued weakly, "but I can't just walk away. It's not that simple."

"No Severus, that's where you're wrong," Lily said, sadly shaking her head, "it is simple. You can choose a life with your Death Eater friends, or you can choose a life with me and your conscience. It may be a difficult choice, but it is exceedingly simple."

Before he could have a chance to respond, however, James Potter's bespectacled head had popped out of the portrait hole. He stared at Lily and Severus linked hands in annoyance. "Evans, it's pass curfew, come on."

"Shut it, Potter, you're not even a prefect." Lily scowled, "I'll come when I'm good and ready."

Once James had grudging retreated behind the portrait, Lily turned to Severus, "I have to go, Severus. Think about what I've said."

She freed her hand from Severus' grasp and walked towards the portrait hole. At the last second, she turned to her old friend with bright tears in her eyes, "please don't come to see me again unless you want to tell me you choose me over them, Severus, I can't do this anymore." With a muted "goodnight" she was gone.

Severus stared at the portrait hole for a long time after she had gone, trying to engrave her image into his brain. Sighing, he walked over to gather his wand and started the long walk back to the Slytherin dormitories.


	3. A Threat

A Threat

"Close the bloody curtains…" Severus muttered groggily as he pulled the covers over his head.

"When the hell did you get back, mate?" asked Mulciber, now walking over to stand on the other side of Severus' bed, opposite from Avery. At a wink, they pulled Severus' covers right off, exposing the lanky boy to the chilly dungeon air.

"Sometime last night. Now close the bloody curtains and go away, there are no more exams." He put his face in his pillow and waited for his friends to get bored and go down for breakfast.

"You got a message from Malfoy, he wants to see you in Hogsmeade today before the train leaves," drawled Avery slowly, waiting for Severus' reaction.

Surely enough, the boy sat bold up right on his bed and frowned at Avery, "what does he want me for?"

"Not sure, but we're suppose to help you sneak out," said Mulciber excitedly. "It must be important if he can't wait for the summer. You don't think it's _him_?"

"Don't be thick, Marcus," snorted Avery, "I doubt he's the type to meet anyone at the Three Broomsticks."

Mulciber scowled but said nothing, so Avery turned to Severus, "anyways, you better come down to breakfast if you want to make it."

Severus stifled a yawn, "yeah, ok, you guys go ahead, I'll be right down."

After the other two boys had left the room, Severus quickly grabbed a change of clothes and some toiletries before heading into the washroom. He looked into the mirrors and saw his own bloodshot eyes staring back at him. His long black hair was a mess, and as much as he hated to admit it, was probably a bit too greasy. With a sigh, he stepped into the shower and started washing his hair. It was a futile act, he knew, the grease would start creeping back as soon as he stepped out of the shower. He closed his eyes and tried to think of any possible reason that Lucius would want him today. Then he heard that nagging voice in his head that reminded him of what Lily had said the night before.

As he climbed out of the shower and got ready for breakfast, he wondered what would happen between him and Lily. She had forgiven him for the m-word, so that was good news, but then there was the ultimatum. If he was serious about keeping her friendship, Severus knew he had better start getting rid of his Death Eater friends soon, and yet here he was, getting ready for a meeting with Lucius Malfoy, who was as committed to the cause as they came.

After he had dressed, Severus left the dormitories for the Great Hall, all the time wondering maybe he should just refuse the meeting with Lucius. He could claim he was sick, he sure looked like it. The idea left him as quickly as it came; Lucius Malfoy was not someone you refuse, especially if you're a half-blood.

"What took you so long?" demanded Avery as Severus sat down beside him.

"He wanted to look good for his date with Malfoy," Mulciber interjected boorishly, looking up from his conversation with Wilkes. "Look, he even washed hair. It's so silky smooth, I'm sure Lucius will love it."

Severus glared at the laughing Mulciber, but decided to ignore him. _I have bigger things to worry about_. He scanned the Gryffindor table, searching for Lily. She was sitting with her friends, Mary MacDonald and Alice Wellington if he was not mistaken, and chatting animatedly. He watched as the Marauders descended the stairs into the Great Hall and James manoeuvred his way along the Gryffindor table so that he was sitting right beside Lily. She looked slightly annoyed, but didn't move. _So he's sitting beside her for breakfast, big deal, they're not even talking_. At the moment, Lily looked up and saw him staring at her. Her brows were furrowed in a deep frown once she saw who he was sitting with. James apparently saw this as well, because he was trying his best to reengage Lily in conversation.

"Don't do that," Avery whispered, forcing Severus to break his gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Severus irritatedly as he speared a sausage forcefully, trying to ignore the ruffling of feathers and cascade of letters around him as the owls delivered the morning mail.

"Then why are you whispering?" smirked Avery.

Severus hated when Avery did that, the boy was far too observant, and for some reason, he loved to bring up the topic of Lily Evans with Severus, albeit with great subtlety. Severus was sure that the brown haired boy beside him knew exactly how he felt about the muggleborn witch. Avery was discreet though, because he never seemed to mention that fact to Mulciber or the others, and for some reason, he always beside Severus at meals, facing the Gryffindor table, forcing Mulciber to sit in front of them. Severus wondered if Avery was trying to protect him, because that would be _weird_. Slytherins look after themselves. _He must have another agenda_. Severus looked up at Lily again, wondering what exactly this agenda could be. However, the thought of Avery was quickly wiped off his mind as he saw Lily smiling at something James had said. _Damn Potter._

"I told you not to do that," Avery whispered again, apparently very interested in the bacon on his plate.

"Sod off, Octavius," scowled Severus as he went back to his food.

"That's what you were doing, isn't it?" said Avery with that insufferable smile of his. "You were with her. I'm guessing by how late you were last night that she didn't take the mudblood comment very well?"

Normally, Severus would play dumb until Avery dropped the subject, but today Avery was apparently determined to keep this conversation on the topic of Lily Evans, so he settled for a sarcastic comment, "no, she took it as compliment and was positively aglow with happiness when I showed up."

Avery chuckled, "so you're through?"

"I don't think so," said Severus hesitantly, wondering if that was true.

"Interesting," Avery mused, but quickly turned serious, "that's too bad."

"Why?"

"People are talking," said Avery quickly, seeing Severus' thunderous look. "Marcus may be as narcissistic as Malfoy and not too bright, but even he's starting to wonder why James Potter seems to have it out for you and you only."

"I'm not worried about Marcus."

"Really? You should be, because his family is _very_ favoured, and since his father is as thick as him, you have to wonder how they got there," Avery gave him a meaningful look. "Besides, the whole school saw her stand up to Potter for you, so the rest of us have to question why exactly she would do that, considering lions never help snakes."

"Is that a threat?" Severus' voice was icy cold.

"It's a warning," snapped Avery, now annoyed at Severus' tone. "I don't know what you're mad at me for, I've known about this for years, and haven't told anyone. So I think you can trust me."

"Or you're biding your time, until this information becomes useful," commented Severus darkly.

Avery merely shrugged nonchalantly and finished his bacon and eggs before standing up, "believe what you want, but now we have to get going. Come on, Marcus, let's go."

Severus hurriedly finished the rest of his breakfast and followed Avery and Mulciber, considering what he should do about Avery. _First Lily, then Avery, what is with everyone?_

xxx

"Wake up, sleepy heads!"

"Since when did you become such a morning person?" groaned Sirius, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the light now streaming into Gryffindor tower.

"Since last night," said James as he moved along the room, pulling open everyone's curtains. "OWLs are over, Lily finally ditched old Snivelly, and it is a beautiful day. In fact, I think today is _that _beautiful day."

"I don't think even Lily's that forgiving, James," said Remus exasperatedly. "I really don't think you should bother her at least until after the summer. We're leaving the school today, so you won't be able to go into Hogsmeade anyways."

"Why? Snivellus is gone. I've waited for this forever," pouted James. "Besides, we can go to Diagon Alley or something, that'll be better than Hogsmeade."

"Well, he was her friend, so she's probably not feeling that great today," reasoned Remus as he grabbed his toiletries and entered the washroom. "Besides, if you're right, and he's gone, then he's no longer a threat anymore and you can afford to wait."

"I think I'll test my luck," replied James, joining Remus in the washroom.

"You do that, but at least apologize for yesterday before you get to your usual lines." Remus rolled his eyes and started brushing his teeth. _There's just no reasoning with James where Lily's concerned_.

After the four Marauders had finished their morning routines, they dressed and walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Once there, James surveyed up and down the Gryffindor table, looking for Lily. She was seated at the opposite end of the Great Hall, so James wasted no time, taking off at nearly a run with Peter in tow. Remus chuckled to himself at his friend's enthusiasm and walked down the table.

"So Evans, I guess I should apologize for last night," said James quickly, preparing himself for another outburst. "Caught up in the heat of the moment and all that."

"You should tell Severus that," said Lily coldly. James blanched at the thought, but Lily just ignored him and simply went back to listening to Alice discuss her vacation plans.

He ploughed on despite her apathy, "so, are you doing anything over the summer? Since you come from a muggle family, I imagine you don't know Diagon Alley very well. Maybe I could show you around sometime?"

Unfortunately, Lily was ignoring him completely and was scanning the Great Hall when she suddenly frowned. He followed her line of sight and saw Severus among the fifth year Slytherins. Taking the frown as a good sign, he continued. "So like I was saying, maybe I could show you around Diagon Alley sometime in the summer."

Seeing Lily about to offer a swift rejection, he quickly added on, "why don't you invite Mary and Alice too? I can get Sirius, Remus, and Peter to come along as well, it'll be fun."

Mary apparently heard this because she turned to James excitedly, "Sirius is coming?"

"Why MacDonald, how sweet, I didn't know my company meant that much to you," said Sirius smugly, flipping his glossy black hair out of his eyes and putting on his most charming smile.

"As if," mumbled a blushing Mary.

Lily smiled at his friend's expression, but offered James a stern look, "Fine Potter, I'll come, if only for Mary."

"Excellent, so what time are you free?"

While James happily planned out their trip to Diagon Alley, Sirius was observing the two Slytherins across the hall. He suddenly commented to Remus. "What do you suppose they're talking about?"

"Who?" Remus looked to where Sirius was pointing and saw Snape and Avery with their heads together, talking quietly. "Them? Probably summer plans or something."

"I don't think Death Eaters take summer vacations," snorted Sirius. "They're up to no good."

"It's kids like you who grow up to be Aurors," sighed Remus, shaking his head. "Just leave it."

"They're getting up, looks to be in quite a hurry." Sirius narrowed his eyes in suspicions. He considered the Slytherins' retreating figures before standing up and turning to Remus. "They're heading upstairs, if we hurry, we might be able fetch the invisibility cloak and still catch up to them."

"The train leaves in less than three hours," said Remus, checking his watch. "What could they possibly accomplish in that time?"

xxx

"Ah, Severus, I was starting to get worried that you wouldn't show."

Severus almost jumped at the voice. Apparently Lucius knew he would be using the secret passage that led to Honeydukes, because the blond man was lounging outside the sweetshop when Severus exited. Severus composed himself quickly and nodded, "to what do I owe this pleasure, Lucius?"

"Why don't go to the Hog's Head?" Lucius began walking down the street with Severus in tow. "The barman is most discreet and I could use a drink."

"With respect," said Severus, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, "the Hogwarts Express leaves today. I cannot stay; surely we can meet again in the summer?"

"Perhaps," replied Lucius curtly, "but I chose today. Do not worry, Severus, I assure you we will have you on that train before it departs."

The two pushed open the doors to the Hog's Head and choose a dimly lit booth in the back. Lucius left to order a firewhisky for himself and a butterbeer for Severus. He quickly returned and sat across from Severus, drinking his firewhisky with gusto. It was a few moments before the older man broke the silence, "so Severus, how were the exams."

"They went fine," said Severus, carefully masking his agitation. "Forgive me, but I cannot imagine that you requested me on the last day of school simply to inquire about exams."

The man across from him chuckled softly, "always so direct, Severus. Very well, I will get straight to it. As you know, Narcissa was in her seventh year. Since she has now graduated, we have decided to get married this summer. The wedding will be on the fifth of July, We hope you will honour us with our presence, Narcissa would be most pleased." At a nod from Severus, he smiled and continued, "excellent. The arrangements have already been made. A new set of dress robes will be delivered to you shortly, and on the fifth, our house elf will be there to apparate you to the wedding."

"I see." _Narcissa could have told me that anytime, why am I really here?_

Lucius must have seen the look on his face, because he added slowly, "there will be a special guest I'd like you to meet after the wedding."

"Him?" asked Severus eagerly, his interest piqued.

"Who else? I have told him great things about you, Severus, and he is intrigued," said Lucius smugly, "he requested this meeting himself."

"He requested _me_?" Severus was awed; the most powerful wizard in the world was taking an interest in _him, _Severus Snape. Before he could relish in his new found fame, the events of the night previous flooded back again, if he met the Dark Lord, it was another step towards losing Lily. "I thought the Mark is only given to wizards who have graduated?"

"Of course, you did not think he would mark you so soon, did you? You are the most brilliant potion student I have ever seen, but even you would have to wait two years yet," Malfoy chuckled at the young wizard's audacity. "No, this meeting is simply a preliminary meeting to explore your level of interest and commitment."

Severus breathed a sigh of relief, which Lucius missed as he was downing the last of his firewhisky. "I have kept you long enough; you must be getting back to the castle if you wish to catch your train." The older checked his pocket watch and dismissed Severus before apparating out of the bar with a pop.

In the booth next to where the two men sat, a dismembered voice whispered, "see Moony, I told you he was up to no good."


	4. Meant to Be

Meant to Be

"So Snivellus is off the join the Death Eaters the second he leaves school, not that it's big news" said Sirius grimly, relating the scene at the Hog's Head to a distracted James as the Marauders moved along the train, pulling their trunks behind them.

"You sure you saw them head this way, Wormtail?" he called back to rotund boy, who was struggling with his trunk.

"Positive, Prongs, I think," replied Peter nervously. "Could you give me a hand, Moony? I think my trunk's stuck."

"This is madness, James, there are empty compartments everywhere." Remus was irritated with his friends now. It was a trying morning, first Sirius talked him into following Snape into Hogsmeade, then they were almost spotted by Avery as he was standing guard, and by the time they got back to Gryffindor Tower, the train was already at Hogsmeade and he had not finished packing yet, which would have been fine except James insisted on leaving early so he could find Lily and sit in the same compartment as her. So here he was, with his trunk a total mess, running along the Hogwarts Express from one end to the other, while listening to Sirius insult Snape with every name under the sun. To top it off, Peter's trunk was so heavy that Remus would not be surprised to find his four poster bed in there.

"We're here anyways," said James, giving his hair another ruffle and putting on a surprised smile before sliding open the door of the compartment before him. "Funny seeing you here, Evans. Of all the compartments on the train, we pick the same one. I guess some things are just meant to be."

"I saw you following us out of the Great Hall, Potter," said Lily, not looking up from her game of wizard's chess with Alice.

The Quidditch captain flushed briefly, but decided to change the topic, "you don't mind if we sit down, do you?"

"I do," the Gryffindor sighed, "but you're going to anyways."

With a slightly self-conscious laugh, James and the Marauders filed into the compartment. The train soon began its long journey south to King's Cross station. Everyone settled for the ride comfortably, except for Lily, who had James whispering advice into her ear as she continues her game with Alice. The other three Marauders soon began a game of exploding snaps with Mary. They were soon disturbed by a light knock on the compartment door. Expecting the trolley lady, Peter stood up to slide open the door only to find the coal black eyes of Severus Snape. He let out a yelp, quickly shut the door, and was rewarded by the sound of retreating footsteps."

"Who was it, Wormtail?" asked Sirius, examining his hand of cards.

"It was Snape," replied Peter, sitting back down beside Remus.

"What did Severus want?" Lily looked up from her game at Peter with a frown. "Did he say anything?"

"Nothing good, I'll wager," answered Sirius with a scowl. Lily's frown deepened, but she said nothing, instead turning back to the chessboard. Beside her, James was trying to catch Sirius' attention, once he had it, James nodded to the door and gave Sirius a wink. Taking the hint, Sirius stood up and said loudly, "I think I had too much porridge at breakfast, because I really need to use the loo."

"Fascinating," muttered Alice under her breath as she considered the board.

"Don't do anything stupid," growled Lily, turning her head to look at Sirius.

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Sirius smoothly.

Ignoring the comment, James stood up as well, "I think I'll go with you, Sirius."

At this, Mary giggled from beside Sirius, "I thought only girls went in groups."

"What's the matter MacDonald, afraid you're going to miss me?" asked Sirius smugly, enjoying the effect it had on the flustered black haired girl. Before he could say anything else, James dragged him forcibly from the compartment. Peter hesitated for a second, but followed the two out of the compartment, leaving Remus in the compartment.

"Good riddance," said Lily, "now I can actually concentrate."

"Not that it'll do you any good," said Alice with a smile, moving her queen to take Lily's rook, "because I believe that is check and mate."

"That doesn't count," scoffed Lily, "that idiot was breathing down my neck the whole time. I want a rematch."

"I don't know why you can't get along with James better," said Alice as she rearranged the pieces on the board.

"You mean besides the fact that he's an arrogant and pompous buffoon who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no'?"

"He's just crazy about you, Lily, anyone can see that."

"And he's really not bad looking," interjected Mary.

Before Lily could respond, Remus cleared his throat loudly from behind a copy of the _Daily Prophet_, obviously uncomfortable about where the conversation was headed for.

"Aw, you don't have to worry, Remus, we all agree you're the handsomest guy in all of Hogwarts," teased Alice.

"All of England," corrected Lily.

"And the most loveable," added Mary, fluttering her eyelashes at Remus.

Blushing furiously, Remus stood up and quietly mentioned taking a walk and stretching his legs before walking out the compartment. As he closed the door, he could hear the three girls inside break out in laughter.

xxx

Severus Snape was inside the Slytherin compartment reading, or at least pretending to read, the copy of _Secrets of the Darkest Art_ on his lap. In reality, he was considering what Lucius had just told him that morning. Just yesterday, meeting the Dark Lord would have been a dream come true. The man granted very few audiences, and here he was _requesting _to see Severus, who was still underage. Normally, the Dark Lord's most trusted lieutenants did the recruiting, if he specifically asked for Severus, then he must be very intrigued indeed. _What about Lily?_ The nagging voice in his head just refused to go away. _If I join the Death Eaters, Lily is gone, but if I don't join, I'd be just another pathetic loser who didn't quite make it and Lily would fall for Potter._ _I hate lose-lose situations._

"That page must be really interesting," said Avery lazily, putting his feet up on the empty seat across from him. "You've been staring at it for at least fifteen minutes."

"It contains a quite complicated spell, if you must know," lied Severus easily.

"What does it do?"

"It eviscerates your enemny in a particularly painful manner."

"There's a non-painful manner of evisceration?" asked Avery mildly.

"You know what I mean," replied a very agitated Severus. _Still, at least he's not on about Lily_. He could see that Avery was bored, and when Avery was bored, he liked to bring up uncomfortable topics. And since Severus did want to continue thinking about what had happened that morning and the night previous, he decided to bring up something to keep Avery occupied. "Hey Octavius, are you going to Malfoy's wedding?"

"Wouldn't dream of missing it," said Avery lazily. Then he appeared to remember something, because he gave Severus a smug smile, "guess who else is going."

"I would say Marcus, Julius, and Augustus, but guessing from your smile, it's someone else," said Severus, going through in his head the name of every Slytherin he knew and trying to figure which ones were of specific interest to him. "I can't think of anyone special just now."

"I'd call Potter and Black pretty special," drawled Avery with a smirk on his face.

Severus sputtered in surprise, "as in James Potter and Sirius Black?"

"Yep, I heard from Regulus that his brother and Potter were planning to attend while wearing red dress robes with gold trim, to show house spirit and all that."

"Right, because Malfoy is best pals with Potter and Black," said Severus dubiously.

"The Potters are bloody rich and Sirius is Narcissa's cousin," explained Avery.

"Still doesn't explain why they would even go," considered Severus.

"Half the people there, me for one, don't _want_ to go because Malfoy is such a pretentious git," replied Avery darkly, "but he is rich and well connected, it wouldn't do to refuse an invitation from him."

"And he always has a good spread. I remember the roast duck from Abraxas Malfoy's birthday last year, never had anything like it," added Marcus Mulciber, who was in the seat by the window, opening pack after pack of exploding frogs. Avery sneered disdainfully, but said nothing. Mulciber apparently didn't see this, because he continued with a grin, "besides, almost every pureblood family in Britain's going to be there, and you know what they say about girls at weddings."

That apparently was enough to break Avery, because his eyes flashed icily and his tone turned dangerously cold, "just remember my sister is off limits."

"Aw, you know Lucilla loves me," guffawed Mulciber, not taking the hint. Severus raised his book to hide his growing smile. Lucilla Avery was in fourth year and has long harboured a crush on Marcus Mulciber, a fact of which Mulciber was all too aware and would have used to his advantage, if the elder Avery wasn't constantly reminding Mulciber that Lucilla was indeed his sister. As an added bonus, whenever the two started on this topic, Severus could count on a few minutes left to himself. So for the next hour, the two Slytherins across from Severus argued furiously amongst themselves, with Mulciber reminding Avery that the latter should feel lucky that his sister should want to "shag a stand up pureblood bloke" like him, while Avery barely controlling his anger and refraining from cursing Mulciber to oblivion.

However, Severus quickly found that his solitaire was not as enjoyable as he thought it would be. Left alone, his thoughts drifted back to Lucius and Lily and his impending choice. His book was no solace, because every line reminded him of the fact that Lily would most definitely not approve of his reading material. Sighing, he got up and excused himself, which went unheard over the din of Avery and Mulciber's argument. He needed to get his mind off of things. As he walked down the train to the restroom, he saw the compartment that Lily had disappeared into when he last saw her. He wondered if he should knock. She had intimated rather clearly that he was not to bother her unless he was ready to renounce his friends, which he was not yet willing to do, but he was worried about what Potter had said the night before and what he had seen during breakfast. Deciding against it, he turned and was about to leave when he heard the distinctive barking laughter of Sirius Black emanating from the compartment, and where Black was, Potter was bound to be. As much as he hated another prospective confrontation with the Marauders, Severus had to know. He turned to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

When the door slid open, it was watery eyes of Peter Pettigrew that confronted him. Though the rotund boy quickly shut the door again, Severus had already seen Lily by the window playing chess with Alice Wellington. Beside Lily, intimately whispering into her ear was none other than James Potter. With a curse, he ran down the train to the restroom. He splashed water on his face, hoping that he was dreaming. _How could she do this to me? Last night she was talking about making Potter scrub bedpans. Do things change that fast?_

He did not have too much time for brooding, however, because he was soon joined by Sirius Black, who opened the door to the restroom with a bang and pointed his already drawn wand at Severus. "Oi, Prongs, Snivellus is in here!"

Severus considered if he should draw his wand and try to disarm Sirius before James arrives. He quickly decided against it though, Sirius already had his wand trained on him, if Severus tried anything, he would just end up wandless and still at the mercy of the two Gryffindors anyways. So he settled for a hate filled glare at the boy across from him. A few seconds later, they were joined by Peter and James, both had wands drawn and pointed at the Slytherin.

They spent a few moments glaring at their opponents before Sirius broke the silence with a chuckle, "I don't think he heard you last night, mate."

James' usual arrogant smirk was on his face again, "right you are, Padfoot, I think the grease must be clogging his ears."

Severus bit back the insult he was about to hurl at the Gryffindor. There was no way he was going to beat all three of them by himself now. He could only stall and hope a Slytherin came in to use the loo. Instead, he asked James tersely, "what do you want, Potter?"

"Well, as our favourite stalker," said James in a falsely pleasant voice, "I thought you should be the first to know that Lily has agreed to go out with me."

"That's a lie!" snarled Severus. "Lily would never agree to go out with an arrogant narcissist like you."

James' cocky grin only grew wider at the denial, "oh, rest assured, she has. I'd tell you to go ask her yourself, but then you'd be near her. Which brings me to my second point," now Jame's tone took on an icy edge. "I told you to stay away from Lily, a warning which you decided not to heed."

"Since when do I answer to you, Potter?" asked Severus, struggling to maintain his composure at this news. _He's lying, he has to be. She wouldn't do that to me so soon._

Instead of James, it was Sirius who answered, "oh right, you answer to Voldemort, don't you?" The hatred was evident in his voice, "Death Eater scum that you are."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Snivellus. Moony and I saw you talking to Malfoy in Hogsmeade today," said Sirius venomously, stepping closer to Severus, "going to meet up with Voldemort after Malfoy's wedding are you?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." _Damn it, Octavius and Marcus were suppose to watch the entrance_.

"Don't lie!" Sirius' eyes were positively murderous as he jabbed at Severus' chest with his wand. "I saw how disappointed you were that you wouldn't get to receive the dark mark until graduation." At Severus' surprised look, he smiled humourlessly, "didn't think I knew that? I grew up with a whole den of bloody pureblood fanatics. So believe me when I say I know a Death Eater when I see one."

Severus rolled up his left sleeve in response, "you contradict yourself, Black, all Death Eaters are marked by the Dark Lord himself, so as you can clearly see, I am not a Death Eater."

"Not yet by name anyways," Sirius pointed his wand at Severus' throat.

Severus' right hand strayed towards his wand, hoping Sirius would not notice in his agitated state. But James saw him and grabbed his arm with one hand while taking Severus' wand with the other. He tossed the wand to Peter and pressed his wand against Severus' face. "Oh no, you don't. Sirius is right, you may not be a Death Eater yet, but we all know you're going to become one the second you leave Hogwarts. Lily deserves so much better than you."

"Like you, I suppose," replied Severus acridly.

"We are meant to be together, Lily and I. Just like you are meant to become a Death Eater and rot in Azkaban."

Severus knew that this "talk" was not going to end very well, probably worse than the one last night. The meeting that morning with Lucius was quite incriminating, and if Sirius saw it, then it was impossible to convince him that Severus was not going to become a Death Eater. With his hatred of dark arts, there was no way he would let a Death Eater just walk away. As bad as James was, Sirius was much worse. The elder Black brother had much more Slytherin in him than he'd like to admit. There was only one thing to do.

"As a matter of fact, Lily has assured me that she would take me over you the second I renounced my allegiances to the Dark Lord," said Severus with a smirk. "I was just about to tell her I have. Then she'll forget all about you, Potter."

"Lily is way too good for you." Then, to Severus' surprise, James backed off. He took a ring out of his breast pocket and held it close to Severus' face. "You see this? This is the ring I will give to Lily the day she agrees to marry me. It's a Potter family heirloom and it's worth more than your pathetic excuse of a life, _Snivellus_. If you can't afford this, what can you possible offer Lily that I can't? You and I both know that one of us has to lose. You're the ugly snivelling greasy haired Death Eater to be with an abnormally large nose, and I'm the handsome, popular Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Surely even you can figure this out. In what world could you possibly beat me?"

"If you're so confident, why are you here?" laughed Severus drily. "I think you don't believe that for a second."

"Oh I believe it, Snivelly, I just want you to believe it too. More importantly, I want to you understand that I mean what I say when I tell you to stay away from Lily," said James impassively, a cold glint in his hazel eyes, putting his wand away. "You know, sometimes, in my weaker moments, I actually felt sorry for you, for what we do. But today, you alleviated my concerns, we don't have a shadow of a doubt now that you are just waiting to take the mark and murder and pillage."

"Magic is easier, but the muggle way is so much more satisfying, and fitting in your case, don't you think?" asked Sirius, also putting away his wand.

Before Severus could respond, James' fist had connected with his face, breaking his nose for the second time in as many days. Then, before he could recover, he felt the wind knocked out of him by Sirius. He vision grew blurry and a buzzing noise surrounded him as punch after punch landed on his head. He felt his legs give out under him and he fell to the ground, doubled over, before a kick to the side sent him sprawled onto the ground. Soon, he was lying on the floor curled up in a ball with his eyes closed as Sirius, James, and Peter hurled punches and kicks at him. The ferocity of the beating surprised him. Usually the Marauders had been mostly bark and little bite, seldom incurring any lasting damage, but this time, it was like finding out that he was going to be a Death Eater gave them the _carte blanche_ they needed. His thoughts were soon broken by a splitting headache as a kick landed on his head, probably from Sirius. He wondered if he was going to black out soon.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, it stopped. Vaguely, Severus heard someone say, "what have you done?" Then he lost his last tenuous hold on consciousness.


End file.
